It’s shaping up to be a big year for the Game of Thrones franchise, with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms starting 2026 strong and House of the Dragon Season 3 set to debut in just a few days. Both spinoffs are among the most impressive 2020s fantasy shows to emerge so far, and HOTD Season 3’s early reviews paint a promising picture of the franchise’s future. And there are more Game of Thrones spinoffs in various stages of development, too, including a feature film about Aegon’s Conquest and an animated show centered on Corlys Velaryon.
Of course, for every Game of Thrones spinoff on the horizon, there’s a concept that has been cancelled or shelved. HBO’s efforts to expand its fantasy franchise have produced many ideas over the years, some of which aren’t going forward at the network. Certain cancelled projects are more disappointing than others. Here’s how we’d rank every axed addition to the GOT universe based on how much we’d like HBO to reconsider.
6) The Original Aegon the Conqueror Show (in Which He’s…a “Drunken Lout”?)
At HBO’s CinemaCon presentation earlier this year, the network revealed that Warner Bros. is making a Game of Thrones film covering the events of Aegon’s Conquest. Set 300 years before Game of Thrones, it’ll depict how Aegon I Targaryen conquered Westeros and kickstarted the almost 300-year Targaryen dynasty. It’s an exciting story for the big screen, but it means another planned GOT spinoff is probably moot: the Aegon the Conqueror TV show. The rival to the film, which was being developed by The Batman writer Mattson Tomlin, was seemingly scrapped in favor of it. It wouldn’t be the first Aegon’s Conquest TV concept to be axed. An earlier idea was more definitely done away with.
In 2022, The Hollywood Reporter reported on the spinoff ideas HBO considered after Game of Thrones‘ ending, confirming that five initially entered development. One was an Aegon the Conqueror show from Rand Ravich and Far Shariat, which would’ve portrayed the character as a “drunken lout.” This isn’t fully aligned with George R.R. Martin’s work, though it plays into the character’s inspiration: William the Conqueror. Unfortunately, a concept staring off with a change from canon is risky, so we’re not terribly sad this one didn’t work out. It helps that we’re still getting an Aegon the Conqueror adaptation, and it’ll finally bring Westeros to the big screen.
5) A Prequel About the Seven Gods
One of the strangest ideas discussed as a potential spinoff of Game of Thrones was a prequel centered on the gods worshipped by the Faith of the Seven: the Father, the Mother, the Maiden, the Crone, the Warrior, the Smith, and the Stranger. According to THR, the series would’ve been “like a superhero team-up about the fabled Seven Gods of Westeros as if they were actual people.” It would’ve shown how the deities came to be worshipped in the first place, which is an intriguing bit of lore that Game of Thrones fans likely haven’t given much thought to. Of course, that’s also why the entire concept is a dubious one.
The gods and religions in Game of Thrones are supposed to maintain some level of mystery, and this series would strip all that away. It’s possible it could’ve done so by leaning into ASOIAF-esque commentary, but that’d require lots of input from George R.R. Martin to get right. It’s no surprise that the show allegedly “didn’t get very far.” We’d see it revived over the original Aegon’s Conquest series, but only because we’re already getting another version of that. In terms of actual interest, this ranks fairly low. If HBO wants to explore the gods, a look at how the Faith of the Seven came to replace the Old Gods would be way more interesting.
4) A Flea Bottom Show
Despite producing some of the franchise’s best characters — Davos Seaworth and Ser Duncan the Tall included — Flea Bottom remains one of the Game of Thrones franchise’s most underrealized locations. Yes, we occasionally see how the actions of the Great Houses of Westeros impact the common folk living there. And both House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms do a better job of digging into that topic. However, it’s easy to understand why HBO had plans to develop an entire spinoff centered on the poorest area of King’s Landing (via The Hollywood Reporter). It’s also easy to guess why the Flea Bottom project was cancelled.
In theory, a Flea Bottom spinoff would be a positive thing, bringing new perspectives to the Game of Thrones franchise. Most of its stories center the Great Houses of Westeros, and while we know their conflicts affect the common folk, we only occasionally get to know those ordinary people with any degree of depth. Following them would be an opportunity to dig into the class divide in Westeros, but there’s a problem with the entire concept. If it’s not handled well, it’ll either end up feeling too low stakes, or it’ll circle back to the issues of the Great Houses anyway. This spinoff would need a solid hook to actually work, like a character from Flea Bottom finding a way to change their lot. We already have A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms for that, so we’re not too sad this series won’t come to pass.
3) The Jon Snow Spinoff
Most Game of Thrones projects planned by HBO have been prequels, but the network did announce a sequel show back in 2022: its Jon Snow spinoff. Kit Harington was supposed to return for the series, which would have revealed what became of his character after being exiled beyond the Wall. It also would have been a chance to catch up with the other surviving characters from Game of Thrones. The idea was as exciting as it was risky. After all the controversy surrounding Season 8’s ending, this could have fixed some of the lingering issues — the absolute waste of Jon’s parentage and the rushed conclusion to the White Walker story among them.
Alternatively, the Jon Snow spinoff could have further hurt the original story’s legacy. That possibility almost makes us glad it’s not going through. It would be nice to see our favorite Game of Thrones characters again, which is why this ranks slightly higher than the Flea Bottom project. However, any continuation of Game of Thrones would need to proceed with extreme caution. As there’s been talk of HBO reviving the cancelled spinoff, we’ll have to hope it understands the risks if it does return to it.
2) The Doom of Valyria
Another script pitched and originally put in development involved the Doom of Valyria, which we hear about in Game of Thrones, but not in much detail. The spinoff idea came from Kong: Skull Island‘s Max Borenstein, and it would’ve explored the volcanic disaster that destroyed Valyria around 100 years before Aegon’s Conquest. Despite its intriguing premise, HBO opted not to move forward with this particular idea. That’s a shame, as it would’ve explored how the Targaryens became the only surviving Dragonlords in Westeros. It also would’ve offered one of the most unique premises for a Game of Thrones spinoff, as we’ve yet to unpack a natural disaster in this world (unless you count the White Walkers).
Of all the Game of Thrones spinoffs to get the ax, this remains one of the most disappointing. In addition to adding context to some of the history discussed in Game of Thrones, this idea offered high stakes and a unique threat. It would’ve made a fascinating addition to the franchise. It’s not as frustrating as one other cancelled show, though — one that got closer to becoming a reality.
1) Bloodmoon
The first Game of Thrones spinoff announced by HBO was Bloodmoon, a prequel that would have chronicled the transition from the Age of Heroes into the Long Night, the catastrophic winter that saw White Walkers threatening Westeros the first time. Jane Goldman was set to serve as writer and showrunner, with George R.R. Martin co-producing and Naomi Watts playing a lead role. Other stars were cast as well, including Miranda Richardson and Jamie Campbell Bower (via Inverse). Bloodmoon even got to the pre-production phrase, with HBO ordering a pilot. Unfortunately, that’s where the show’s progression ended. The pilot was shot to the tune of $30 to $35 million, but both HBO and George R.R. Martin reportedly had reservations.
As Bloodmoon would have answered some pressing questions from Game of Thrones, it’s a huge disappointment that the prequel never came to be. The Age of Heroes and Long Night are some of the most fabled and interesting periods of Martin’s history, and it would’ve been incredible to see them brought to the screen. On top of that, the creatives and cast behind this series were promising. It’s a shame it didn’t work out, and it’s even more frustrating that HBO has no plans to rethink its approach to these periods.
Which cancelled Game of Thrones project would you like to see revived? Leave a comment and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!